Cholera hits prisons in Cameroon, two international NGOs want prisoners to be released.
2 min read
The Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Africa (CHRDA) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) issued a human rights statement on 19 April 2022 decrying the harsh conditions of prisons in Cameroon including over crowding and deplorable hygienic conditions.
According to the two human rights organisations, At least six people are reported to have died from cholera in a Cameroonian prison. This is due to unsanitary conditions of detention, with reduced access to hygiene and overcrowded infrastructures. The outbreak of this new epidemy in prisons amid an ongoing Covid-19 crisis reveals the failure of the government to decrease the prison population, ameliorate detainees living conditions and preserve their fundamental rights.
As stated in the report, On 25 March 2022, the Cameroonian Minister of Public Health announced an outbreak of cholera at the Douala New Bell Central Prison in Douala. The government reported 300 cases and 29 deaths between 16 and 22 March in the country. Since then, six new deaths have officially been registered in New Bell Prison. One of the detainees disputes this figure: “I have seen at least 89 people die in the prison due to cholera and several others hospitalized”.
The OMCT and CHRDA call on the Cameroonian government to:
- Prioritize the release of prisoners accused of minor offences and those arrested for their human rights and political engagements to lessen prison overcrowding,;
- Improve the quality of food for prisoners so that they have access to a healthy and balanced diet on a daily basis;
- Make drinking water accessible by increasing the number of supply points;
- Multiply the number of toilets and sinks to allow prisoners to take proper showers and relieve themselves. Unsanitary toilets and sinks are one of the main causes of diseases with a high potential for proliferation, such as cholera or Covid-19;
- Grant civil society organisations full access to places of detention so that they can provide urgent direct assistance, medical, psychosocial and legal support to prisoners during this time of health crisis
Read/download the full statement below or click HERE to read
Berinyuy Cajetan is the founder and publisher of Human Rights and Legal Research Centre (HRLRC) since 2017. He has intensive experience in strategic communications for Civil Society Organizations, campaign and advocacy, and social issues. He has an intensive experiencing in human rights monitoring, documentation and reporting.
